Railway-car-moving device.



C. L. HOFMANN.

' RAILWAY GAB MOVING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 25, 1910.

Patented Aug. 22, 1911.

FIG. 3

COLUMBIA PLANDGRAPH C0..

UNITED STATES PATENT oEEIoE.

GIIIFFORD L. HOFIVIANN,

OF GLENROSE, OHIO, ASSIGNOR 0F ONE-HALF TO HAROLD I.

MGENTEE, OF CINCINNATI, OHIO.

RAILWAY-CAR-MOVING DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 22, 1911.

Application filed November 25, 1910. Serial No. 594,029.

T 0 all whom it may concem:

Be it known that I, CLIFFORD HOF- MANN, a citizen of the United States of America, and resident of Glenrose, county of Glermont, and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Railway-Car-Moving Devices, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to car movers and particularly to means for manually moving railway cars along the rails.

An object of my invention is to produce a device which is adapted to grip the rail during the operation of transmitting a moving force to the car, but which may be easily moved along the rail, for the purpose of following the car. This and other objects I attain by means of a device embodying the features herein described, and illustrated in the drawings accompanying this application and forming a part thereof.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of a portion of a railway car, shown in connection with a rail and a device embodying my invention; a portion of the device is shown broken away for the convenience of illustration. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of an embodiment of my invention, portions being broken away for convenience of illustration. Fig. 3 is a fragmental side elevation of a device embodying my invention, shown in connection with a portion of a rail, and illustrating the relative positions of the parts of the device, when it is being moved along the rail, for the purpose of changing its position and obtaining a new grip on the rail.

The device illustrated as an embodiment of my invention consists of a rail clutch, a lever or lifting bar 4 pivotally mounted on the clutch, and a pushing or jam rod 5, which is pivotally mounted on the lever 4.

The clutch consists of a clutch bar 6, which is provided at one end with a lug 7, preferably, but not necessarily, integrally formed with the bar. A hardened steel clutch block 8 is secured to the clutch bar 6, on the same side as the lug 7, and is provided on its lower face with transversely extending teeth 9, adapted to engage the rail during the operation of moving a rail way car with the device. The lug 7 and the block 8 are so located relatively to each other, that the upper flange of the rail may be introduced between them, for the purpose of locking the device in place on the rail. The block 8 is of substantially the same width as the top flange of the rail on which it is to be employed, while the lug 7 is substantially the width on the lower face of the top flange, on one side of the web of the rail. A locking plate 10 is pivotally mounted on the side of the block 8, and is arranged to' swing by its own weight, so that it will hold the clutch in place on the rail during the operation of moving the device along the rail. The plate 10 is shown broken away in Fig. 2 for convenience of illustration. A pin 11 is mounted on the opposite side of the clutch bar 6, from the lug 7, and the lever A is fulcrumed on it. The jam rod 5 is pivotally mounted on the lever 41, a few inches from the fulcrumed point of the lever, so that the benefit of a long power arm may be obtained in transmitting force to the car to be moved. The free end of the rod is adapted to contact with the car to be moved, as shown in Fig. 1.

In Fig. 1, I have illustrated a portion of a railway car 12, a portion of a rail 13, and a device embodying my invention with the jam rod 5 held in a horizontal posit-ion against the truck portion of the car.

The device illustrated is employed as follows :The plate 10 is swung to one side and the device is moved to position on the rail, so that the top flange of the rail is located between the lug 7 and the block 8 of the clutch, and so that the teeth 9 of the block 8 are in engagement with the top face of the rail. The clutch bar 6 is of such shape and the relative positions of the lug 7 and the block 8 are such, that the weight of the device will force the lug 7 into engagement with thebottom face of the rail flange, I

and the teeth 9 of the block 8 into engagement with the top face of the rail. After the clutch is in place, on the rail, as described, the end of the rod 5 is moved into contact with some portion ofthe car 12 to be moved, and the lever A is then moved about its fulcrum point (the pin 11), for the purpose of imparting motion of the car through the agency of the rod 5. The upward motion of the lever 4: tends to cause the lever to fulcrum about the pivotal point of the rod 5, and thus force the upper end of the clutch bar downwardly, so thatthe lug 7 and the block 8 are caused to firmly grip the rail. The teeth 9 are preferably so tempered that they are harder than the face of the rail, and, consequently, will bite into the rail and prevent the clutch from slipping. When the car has been moved as far as the device can move it on one setting, the device is moved ahead by first lowering the lever 4:, so that the jam rod 5 is released, and then raising the fulorumed end of the lever to such a position that the grip of the lug 7 and-the block 8 on the top flange of the rail is released. The device is then slid for- Ward along the rail to a new position, and the operation of placing the end oft-he jam rod in place against the car and of raising the lever 4 is repeated. The plate 10 prevents the device from leaving the rail during the operation of moving it along the rail, since the plate swings to engage the side of the top flange of the rail, and thereby loosely holds the clutch in place on the rail. The operation of moving the device forward along the rail can be accomplished very rapidly, since the forward thrust of the fulcrum end of the lever 4 will release the grip of the clutch of the device and at the same time advance it along the railto the new positions. The device, illustrated,

may be employed on either rail and may be located on either side of the rail.

What'I claim is v r 1. In'combination in a railway car-moving device, a clutch comprising a clutch bar rovided with a lug for engaging the lower ace of the 'top flange of a railway rail, and a block for engaging the upper face of the rail, and means fulcrumed on said clutch bar for forcing said lug and block into gripping contact with the railand for imparting a moving force to the car to be moved.

2. In combination in a railway carmoving device, a clutch comprising a clutch bar provided with a lug and a toothed block for engaging the rail, a lever fulcrumed on said bar, and a jam rod fulcrumed on said lever.

3. In combination in a railway car-moving device, a clutch bar provided with a lug for engaging the lower face of the top flange of the rail, a block mounted on said bar and provided with teeth for engaging the upper face of the rail, a lever fulcrumed on saidbar, a rod fulcrumed on said lever, and a plate pivotally mounted on said block for holding said device in place on the rail.

CLIFFORD L. HOFMANN.

Witnesses:

E. M. MoCALLrsTEn, WALTER F. MURRAY.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. G. 

